Bahrain Coast Guard boats arrive at ADSB

Four Bahrain Coast Guard boats have arrived at the Abu Dhabi Ship Building (ADSB) shipyard in Mussafah, Abu Dhabi, to undergo a major refit and upgrade program.

They are the first of a total of ten boats that will be refitted and upgraded under a contract signed with the Bahrain Government in late 2007.

The contract provides for the complete refurbishment of the vessels including new propulsion and auxiliary machinery, accommodation facilities and navigation equipment. The work will be undertaken in ADSB's state-of-the-art Composite Workshop.

The Commander of the Bahrain Coast Guard, Colonel Ala Abdulla Seyadi, who sailed with the boats from Bahrain on their journey to Abu Dhabi commented: "The mid life refit of the Dera'a and Saif class is a major project for the Coast Guard.

"Once it is completed it will provide us with the core of our patrol boat fleet for the next 15 years. We are very confident that ADSB will complete the contract to our satisfaction and we look forward to working with them over the period of the contract."

Bill Saltzer, ADSB's CEO said: "All of us at ADSB are pleased to see these vessels arrive in Abu Dhabi to start this important project. We are looking forward to demonstrating to the Bahrain Coast Guard the excellent refit capabilities that have been developed here to support the requirements of all of the GCC countries."

This contract represents another major milestone in ADSB's short history as it marks the first major refit project on Coast Guard boats from another GCC country.

Abu Dhabi Ship Building (ADSB) is a UAE Public Joint Stock Company listed on the Abu Dhabi Securities Market. The company is located in the Mussafah Industrial Area of Abu Dhabi and is engaged in the new construction and refit/repair/maintenance of both naval and commercial vessels.

In business since 1996, ADSB operates a modern, world-class shipyard facility that includes a shiplift and land level transfer system capable of handling vessels up to 2,000 tons in weight and 85 meters in length. In the past eleven years, ADSB has built more than 100 new vessels in steel, aluminum and composites. The company also performs approximately 175-200 ship repair/refit jobs each year.

ADSB is owned 10% by the Abu Dhabi Government, 40% by Mubadala Development Company, and 50% by more than 6,000 UAE National shareholders.